Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 996 A Change of Fate, The Conflict at the Great Thunderclap Temple

Under this forbidden power, everyone knew what kind of misfortune the Gods of Wealth in the Ministry of Finance would encounter afterwards!
It's different from the Heavenly Rules.

The rules of Heaven do not go back to the past.

Even if the Heavenly Rules are supplemented in some way, the supplemented Heavenly Rules will only take effect after the supplemented Heavenly Rules are implemented, and will not take into account matters that came before.

Just like after the great war of the gods, when the two generations of human kings joined forces and established the rule of blood sacrifice to mortals as a capital offense at the bottom of the heavenly rules, after that, in the world, anyone who witnessed a blood sacrifice would be killed.

The countless immortals and gods between heaven and earth no longer enjoyed blood sacrifices.

But what about the countless years before this celestial law manifested?
Those immortals and gods who once readily accepted or even craved blood sacrifices, from mortal tribes to powerful beings of the primordial era, including even a colossus like the Queen Mother of the West—were they guilty?
Nature is innocent!

Blood sacrifice becomes a sin, beginning from the moment the heavenly rules were inscribed.

The use of blood sacrifices in the past was merely in accordance with the "common sense" of that time; how could it be considered a sin?
This is why the Gods of Wealth in the Ministry of Finance, as well as those who are cultivating the path of wealth and preparing to become Gods of Wealth, basically have no reverence for the Heavenly Rules.

Some of the wealth gods who have already 'made their money' even want to actively push for the implementation of the heavenly rules targeting them.

Based on the principle that heavenly rules do not go back on their word, even if heavenly rules concerning wealth are indeed established to constrain the way of wealth, they will have nothing to do with the benefits that the gods of wealth have already obtained. In fact, after the heavenly rules are established, the gods of wealth can openly and legitimately take out the benefits they have previously obtained.

That is why, although there have always been people in the Heavenly Court pushing for the Heavenly Rules concerning the restraint of wealth and the God of Wealth, they have not been able to make any real progress.

Without this heavenly rule, the benefits that the gods of wealth seek, as well as the benefits that others seek through the gods of wealth, cannot be openly and honestly presented.

But once this heavenly rule is in place...

That by imposing constraints, one also acknowledges the previous actions!
This is something many people don't want to see.

That is why matters concerning wealth and the Ministry of Finance in the Heavenly Court are so difficult.

Otherwise, for those powerful individuals, the consequences of touching the path of wealth would be unbearable, making it difficult for them to gamble. But what difficulty would there be in establishing a heavenly rule to restrain those gods of wealth?
It's not that we can't do it, it's just that we don't want to let those money-grubbers benefit for nothing!
Even the Great Luo Immortals who rule over heaven and earth have tempers!
That's why, when they saw that after Ao Bing restrained the God of Wealth, he didn't use the Heavenly Rules to restrain those Gods of Wealth, but rather used Fate to restrain them, almost everyone couldn't help but applaud Ao Bing's decision!
The rules of Heaven do not go back to the past, because the rules of Heaven are rules set by humans.

But fate is a force that has existed between heaven and earth since ancient times.

When it comes to a force like fate, there is never any such thing as not looking back on the past.

It encompasses everything about every living being from beginning to end.

By using destiny to restrain those gods of wealth—and ensuring that subsequent gods of wealth dare not act recklessly.

These gods of wealth, who have already reaped many benefits from heaven and earth, whether they change their ways or not—the power of destiny has already taken hold of them.

Their lives will be reduced according to the amount of ill-gotten and unlawful wealth they have acquired in the past…

Normally, this kind of influence derived from fate is invisible and intangible, and cannot be perceived by ordinary people.

However, the number of those who have crossed the line between ill-gotten gains and illegal gains is simply too great.

And the ill-gotten and illegal gains they took were far too much.

The Ministry of Finance is also a place where the gods of wealth gather.

That is why the power that should have been invisible and intangible influencing the fate of the God of Wealth was directly formed on the Golden Palace of the Ministry of Finance, a power that even the slightly stronger Taiyi could feel!
Under such power, everyone knows that the vast majority of the gods of wealth in this world will face annihilation!
No matter how clean they are, no matter how much merit and karma they are not touched by the system, under the cycle of fate, everything they have will be wiped clean!

Just like water droplets that evaporate when the sun rises!
At this moment, the Buddhas on Mount Ling turned their gazes to these gods of wealth.

The weakening of one's destiny stems from the power of fate—a power that is unparalleled and unfathomable to ordinary people.

Even a Great Luo Immortal would have to be cautious in the face of such power.

But for Buddhism...

The power of fate?
What it is?
Buddhism is the supreme lineage established by sages!

It is the supreme legacy entrusted to us by the two sages after their passing away!

Not to mention, at the summit of Mount Ling, there is still an incarnation of a saint who has attained Nirvana, sitting on a lotus throne, with Buddha's light shining throughout the three realms!
With such profound foundation, how could it be easily shaken or affected by the mere, unknowing force of fate?

Furthermore, if the Great Dragon God of Heaven and Righteousness were to pursue this matter, Buddhism would have sufficient power to absorb the weakening of fate and distribute it among the countless Buddhist disciples.

Although Buddhism will pay a certain price for this, and will offend the Great Dragon God who upholds justice and righteousness... compared to the wealth acquired by those gods of wealth, this price is entirely bearable and acceptable.

As for Ao Bing's dislike...

Buddhism has already accepted many people who have violated the rules of heaven.

At this moment, the image of the Great Dragon God, who embodies Heaven and upholds righteousness, sitting upright on the Execution Platform, slaughtering heads until they rolled and the vast origin of heaven and earth transformed into endless primordial energy, which flowed down to the mortal world like rain...

If he were to pretend not to see those who transgress the rules of heaven and are protected by Buddhism, and turn a blind eye to it, then he would be deceiving himself!
So, since it's destined to clash with that righteous dragon god, and since it's destined to preserve the proverb "lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot," why not also protect those gods of wealth who are troubled by fate?
The many gods of wealth troubled by fate not only represent present and past wealth, but also future benefits.

"All Buddhas..."

Shakyamuni's deep and majestic voice rang out, and his gaze, which seemed to encompass the immeasurable heavens, slowly swept over the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas below.

Is this the meaning of all these terms?

Within the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Ling, many Buddhas began to argue.

Some people want to protect those gods of wealth.

They were saying:

"My Buddha, although the God of Wealth is tainted by dust, the path of wealth he governs is related to the operation of heaven and earth and the well-being of all living beings!"
The Buddha's teachings on universal salvation require such resources!

Bringing them under protection not only demonstrates the boundless compassion of Buddha, saving them from dire straits, but also brings immeasurable wealth to support the Three Jewels, spread the Dharma, and benefit all sentient beings! This is a virtuous act with multiple benefits!

"Indeed! Although that fate is strong, our Buddhist sect has the legacy of saints and the ocean of vows from hundreds of millions of believers. To bear this calamity is only a matter of expending some merit."

However, the gains will be enough to further strengthen the foundation of our Buddhist sect! In this chaotic time of global strife, strength is fundamental! How can we let hesitation and timidity cause us to miss this golden opportunity?

Some believe that we should abandon those gods of wealth in order to purify Buddhism.

Their words were filled with an insistence on "purity":

“Amitabha! Our Buddhist community is a pure land and a supreme place of practice! ‘Put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot’ is indeed a great vow, but it is not a place to hide filth and defilement!”

These so-called "gods of wealth" are rife with misdeeds; the wealth they amass is invariably tainted by the karma of injustice and illegality! If we do not carefully discern and instead protect them all, wouldn't we be defiling the pure Dharma body of our Buddhist community? We fear incurring the wrath of Heaven and Earth, and the doubt and slander of all beings!

"Excellent! The Great Dragon God, upholding Heaven and righteousness, has invoked the power of destiny to carry out a cleansing act; this is the righteous wind of Heaven and Earth!"

If our Buddhist community were to step forward to protect them at this time, it would not only go against the trend of the purge, but would also be no different from standing on the opposite side of heaven and earth!
This is not the act of a wise person!
When it's time to cut ties, we must decisively abandon those burdened with karmic obstacles; only then can the righteousness and integrity of Buddhism be truly revealed!

The Buddhas each held their own views, citing scriptures and classics, and argued endlessly.

One side uses "profit" and "power" as its spear, while the other side uses "purity" and "reason" as its shield.

Within the Great Thunderclap Temple, Buddhist light surged and chanting intertwined, and no one could convince anyone else. The entire Ling Mountain was filled with an unprecedented atmosphere of division.

Just as the dispute reached a stalemate and the atmosphere became stagnant, a strange and gentle ripple of time and space suddenly appeared in the vast space of the Great Thunder Temple.

These ripples do not originate from the present, but rather carry the hazy scent of the future.

In the center of these ripples, a Buddha figure, full-figured, with a kind smile and radiating warm and peaceful light, quietly appeared.

It is none other than Maitreya, the future Buddha of Buddhism!
Maitreya symbolizes the future era of Buddhism and is the successor to the lineage of Shakyamuni, the "present Buddha".

The present and the future are interconnected, yet they also naturally possess a subtle temporal boundary.

Therefore, ever since Shakyamuni Buddha sat on the lotus throne as the "Buddha of the Present" and took charge of Buddhism, Maitreya Buddha, the future leader, has followed some mysterious changes in time and, with some apprehension, rarely set foot on Mount Sumeru, and has never set foot in the Great Thunder Temple to appear before Shakyamuni Buddha.

However, at this moment, the future Buddha suddenly appeared before the present Buddha.

"What is the reason for Maitreya's arrival here?" Shakyamuni Buddha asked with a smile, his face expressionless but infinitely profound.

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who were arguing heatedly just a moment ago suddenly fell silent, as if frozen in place.

The coming of the future Buddha carries far greater significance than any debate.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on Maitreya, whose smile was serene yet carried a sense of the ethereal future.

"Namo Shakyamuni Buddha, the discussion in the Great Thunder Temple is about the future of Buddhism."

"And I am the future of Buddhism."

"Therefore, the one who is discussing this in the Great Thunderclap Temple is this humble monk."

“In that case, how could this humble monk not come?” Venerable Maitreya chanted, his voice gentle and clear.

His lotus throne manifested, and he sat opposite Shakyamuni in the Great Thunderclap Temple.

"Excellent, excellent." Shakyamuni nodded. "Then, Venerable One, do you think that our Buddhist sect should accept or not accept the wealth gods who are trapped by fate beneath the Golden Palace of the Wealth Department?"

“Of course it shouldn’t be accepted.” Venerable Maitreya clasped his hands together.

"Now, the Human Emperor has sent an envoy to Mount Ling to seek the Dharma."

"Our Buddhist tradition will take this as its guide, and spread it to the human world and to the heavens and earth."

"This is precisely the time when Buddhism will flourish."

The Venerable Maitreya spoke slowly.

Hearing Maitreya's words, the other Buddhas in the Great Thunder Temple nodded and looked pleased.

The eastward transmission of Buddhism and the flourishing of its traditions can be said to be the long-cherished wish of all Buddhas since their manifestation.

Now that this long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled, how could the Buddhas not send their blessings?

"However, the moment when flowers are in full bloom and oil is being poured on a raging fire is also the most dangerous and the most likely time to collapse!" Amidst the smiles of the Buddhas, the words of Venerable Maitreya changed once again.

"The great flourishing of Buddhism has touched upon changes at the level of the very foundation of heaven and earth."

"The Jade Emperor used this as a chessboard, and powerful figures from both within and outside the domain entered the game."

"There are also many more powerful figures who are unwilling to see our Buddhist sect expand eastward, and they have also stepped into the game."

"The Buddhist community today seems to be facing enemies all over the world."

"This is precisely the time for our Buddhist community to cultivate ourselves, keep a low profile, and bide our time. How can we get involved in another dispute because of the benefits derived from those gods of wealth?"

When Maitreya reached this point, he uttered a greeting.

“The Buddha, the messenger of the Human Emperor, came from the Central Divine Continent, passed through the Southern Jambudvipa, and finally arrived at the Western Aparagodaniya.”

"The mountains and valleys along this road are countless, and the rivers and lakes we have to cross are numerous."

"Unexpectedly, the vast and boundless oceans stretch across it!"

The Venerable Maitreya raised his eyes and looked at all the Buddhas.

"Amitabha, the Great Dragon God of Heaven and Righteousness has now invoked the power of destiny, clearly intending to use the Gods of Wealth of the Ministry of Finance as a guide to rectify the winds of heaven and earth."

"If our Buddhist sect were to stand against the Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness because of this matter, how could the envoy of the Human Emperor, who was on his pilgrimage to seek the scriptures, possibly cross the rivers and lakes, let alone the vast oceans?"

"Therefore, for the sake of the great plan of spreading Buddhism to the East and for the future prosperity of Buddhism, we must not only avoid getting involved in the affairs of the Ministry of Finance, but also avoid them at all costs! We hope that all Buddhas will think carefully before acting on this matter!"

“Your words are indeed biased.” No sooner had Maitreya’s words fallen than another Buddha appeared.

He was one of the Buddhas who advocated accepting and protecting those gods of wealth.

"Your Excellency has long been detached from Buddhist affairs and worldly matters, so how could you possibly know the immense wealth of heaven and earth after the manifestation of the God of Wealth!"

"Moreover, the eastward spread of Buddhism is a grand strategy of heaven and earth, and it is also in line with the will of the human emperor."

"Even if the Great Dragon God, who upholds Heaven and righteousness, has some dissatisfaction, how can he stop this situation?"

"If the dragon race dares to do this, then our Buddhist sect will teach them a lesson!"

(End of this chapter)